Next OSCE Chair, Kazakhstan, called to change its vote on "defamation of religions" resolutionSep 30, 2009 Today, at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) annual Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw, International Law Director of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, Angela C. Wu, called for the next OSCE Chair, Kazakhstan, to change its vote on the “defamation of religions” resolution at next month's UN General Assembly meeting.
“We must ask why, when this resolution so clearly suppresses dissent, and adds nothing to the realization of freedom, human rights, or even security, the future Chair along with 9 other outliers of 56 OSCE member states, continue to vote for the resolution,” said Wu.
The eyes of the OSCE members have been on Kazakhstan, which will take over the chairmanship in the year 2010. Support for the “defamation of religions” resolution, first proposed by the Organisation of Islamic Conference at the UN in 1999, was nearly universal, but has been declining rapidly.
“The very concept of ‘defamation of religions’ empowers the state instead of the individual, and protects ideas instead of persons. In short, the notion of ‘defamation of religions’ turns the entire human rights regime on its head, and is in direct contravention of foundational principles already established in the UDHR and ICCPR, and supported by the OSCE,” added Wu. “This is something Kazakhstan ought to know and understand, especially as it looks forward to chairing the OSCE next year. It currently stands apart from a large majority of OSCE member states on a critical human rights issue.”
The Human Dimension Implementation Meeting is held in Warsaw in every year that an OSCE review session does not take place. It serves as a forum where participants can evaluate the state of human rights in the OSCE member countries, and has come to be known as the only conference in Europe where "representatives of civil society can sit with governments on an equal footing." Each meeting is attended by representatives of the 56 member states as well as by more than 200 NGOs.
The statement was delivered today at the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw, Poland during Working Session 4 entitled Rule of Law II including the protection of human rights and fighting terrorism.
The Becket Fund has issued a brief on this topic as well as having testified before various governmental and non-governmental bodies. For a law review article on this issue written by advocacy officer L. Bennett Graham, please click HERE.
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is a non governmental organization with consultative status before the United Nations and a non-profit public interest law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Kristina Arriaga at karriaga@becketfund.org or cell +1.703.582.8962. |
